This is a very beautiful plant
when in bloom, and this is when you are apt to receive it as a gift-a cluster
of large bell shaped flowers rising out of a circle of large, dark green fuzzy
leaves. After Gloxinia blooming goes into a dormant state during which the
leaves and stems die and there is nothing left but a little, flattish tuber. The
stunning Gloxinia is a genus of three species of tropical rhizomatous herbs in
the flowering plant family Gesneriaceae, primarily found in the Andes of South
America but Gloxinia perennis is also found in Central America and the West
Indies, where it has most likely escaped from cultivation.
At this point most people throw
the thing away, not realizing that they can keep growing it and re-flowering it
for decades. Gloxinias come in many vibrant colors mainly in red, purple, pink
and white some are spotted or edged with contrasting colors. You can purchase a
gloxinia at any point in its life. It it’s in bloom you can see what the flowers
look like of course but often it is easier and less expensive to purchase a
tuber in midwinter, planting it about ½ inch deep in a soilless mix. Water it sparingly while it is
starting to root, then keep soil evenly moist but not soggy while the leaves
appear. Try not to get the leaves wet. Gloxinias will do well in a room, whose
temperature is normal or cool, but the air should be fairly humid, and the
plant should have bright light but not direct sun. Like other members of the
gesneriad group, which includes African violets and streptocarpus, gloxinias do
well under fluorescent lights give them 14 to 16 hours per day. Feed with a
balanced or high phosphorus fertilizer once a month while plants are growing.
Moreover, after bloom stop
feeding and gradually stop watering. When the leaves turn yellow and the plant
goes dormant you can either leave the tuber in the pot or repot it in a
slightly larger one, then store it in a dark, cool place about 50degrees,
keeping the soil almost dry until a few months later when new growth starts. Or
you can dig up the tuber and store it in peat moss for at least forty five
days. Then place it in barely moistened
peat or a soilless mix when you want it to start growing, just as you do when
you buy a new tuber. New plants can be propagated by dividing the tubers just
when they show eyes, making sure there is an eye for each division or by taking
leaf cutting. Gloxinia is a perennial flowering plant, but many hybrids are
grown as annuals.